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Workers Solidarity 106 is online 0 comments That's Capitalism! 0 comments Capitalism is not collapsing 1 comments Recent Articles about Ireland / Britain Migration / racismCéad Míle Fáilte*? Racial Profiling in the Ireland Oct 24 13 Irish Travellers - Apartheid, Irish Style Oct 23 13 Soutenir les familles de Dale Farm, arrêter les attaques racistes cont... Oct 12 11 Labour party leader Pat Rabbitte turns on migrant workers
ireland / britain |
migration / racism |
news report
Wednesday April 05, 2006 18:38 by WS - WSM
The exploitation of migrant workers who are often paid illegally low wages has hit the Irish news many times in recent months. Labour party leader Pat Rabbitte reacted to this explotation by suggesting further controls should be place on migrant workers! Pat Rabbitte and ImmigrationTurning on workers?Labour leader Pat Rabbitte showed his opportunism when he called for a look at work visas for EU nationals. He raised the spectre of 40 million poles chasing “Irish Jobs”. It was a thoroughly disappointing turn by Labour but hardly surprising. Coming after the massive show of strength by the unions during the Irish Ferries dispute, this call succeeded in moving the debate away from workers rights and onto the basest populist nonsense. It pits worker against worker not worker against boss. The strategy of the progressive wing of the labour movement is to recruit the new EU workers into the unions and keep the standards of employment up. “Workers of the world unite” was an old slogan that Pat Rabbitte should remember from his Workers Party days. But when power is the objective principle is an expensive commodity. There was a deafening silence from the ranks of the Labour Party. Apart from a few letters in the Irish Times there was no outcry. The truth is that the Labour Party is all about acquiring power, why else the pact with the anti worker Fine Gael party? The senior ranks are filled with power hungry careerists. The biggest problem with Rabbites pronouncement is that it plays into the hands of the anti/immigrant forces, the racists and the capitalists who seek to keep the working class divided and weak. But the interests of the working class are far from Pat Rabbittes mind. He reckons that by playing this populist card he can outflank Sinn Fein by playing on peoples worries about jobs and instead of pointing the finger at the bosses he is in effect blaming immigrants. Much as in the US successive waves of immigrants, including the Irish, have been scapegoated. Whilst there is displacement and a race to the bottom this can only be tackled by unionising and workers struggles. The state will only serve the interests of capital and any efforts to control immigration will simply feed the black economy, divide workers and give employers the threat of deportation to hang over immigrant workers. Pat Rabbitte was once a member of the Workers Party which preached international socialism of a kind. Electoralism and reformist politics has lead him and many others to this point. Don’t hold your breath for any favours from Labour should they acquire power. As always the best defence lies in the self organisation of the working class and direct action to achieve change. From Workers Solidarity 91, March/April 2006 |
Front pageIn the Rubble of US Imperialism Elementos da Conjuntura Eleitoral 2014 The experiment of West Kurdistan (Syrian Kurdistan) has proved that people can make changes [Chile] EL FTEM promueve una serie de “jornadas de debate sindical” Ukraine: Interview with a Donetsk anarchist Prisões e mais criminalização marcam o final da Copa do Mundo no Brasil هەڵوێستی سەربەخۆی جەماوەر لە نێوان داعش و & Contra a Copa e a Repressão: Somente a Luta e Organização! Nota Pública de soldariedade e denúncia Uruguay, ante la represión y el abuso policial To vote or not to vote: Should it be a question? Mayday: Building A New Workers Movement Anarchist and international solidarity against Russian State repression Argentina: Atentado y Amenazas contra militantes sociales de la FOB en Rosario, Santa Fe Réponses anarchistes à la crise écologique A verdadeira face da violência! Face à l’antisémitisme, pour l’autodéfense Reflexiones en torno a los libertarios en Chile y la participación electoral Mandela, the ANC and the 1994 Breakthrough: Anarchist / syndicalist reflections Ireland / Britain | Migration / racism | News Report | en Sat 04 Oct, 23:34 Immigration and Racism in Ireland 20:39 Tue 10 Oct 0 comments In the last fifteen to twenty years, two new phenomena have finally reached Ireland –Immigration and alongside it - Racism. This is not to say that we Irish never had our prejudices before the ‘blacks’ arrived, back then we were quite happy directing our bigotry and ignorance towards travellers, gays, Jews and Protestants. Afghan Asylum Seekers occupy St Patricks Cathedral in Dublin 23:14 Thu 18 May 0 comments There is a growing crisis in Ireland with the hospitalisation of around 8 of the 41 Afghan Hunger strikers who occupied St Patricks Cathedral on Sunday last. WSM members have been taking part in solidarity vigils and other support work for the 41 Afghan hunger strikers . We support their demand to be allowed to stay in Ireland and we will be taking part in demonstrations and other events over the new few days in support of that demand. Arrests at attempt to block deportations in Dublin 22:31 Thu 20 Oct 1 comments Two people were arrested in Dublin on Tuesday as Residents against Racism activists attempted to block the deportation of 39 people (including fourteen children, 5 of whom were born in Ireland) to Lagos. Nigeria. This account is from Emma a WSM member and RAR activist who was arrested. Man Deported Because Of Garda Brutality Cover up 16:41 Wed 10 Aug 0 comments In the early hours of May 19th Michael Alabi was deported by the Irish State. Michael was resident of a hostel in Lower Gardiner street and was part of a group of Nigerian men who decided to go on hunger strike to protest against the department of Justice's draconian immigration policies. Irish union branch Opposes Tactics Of Deportation Cops 21:41 Tue 09 Aug 0 comments The Dublin City North Branch of the INTO has passed a motion endorsing the call by outgoing union president, Austin Corcoran, that all schools become safe places for all children -to be given the status of embassies. It is hoped that more branches within the union will take up this issue and that by next year's annual congress a campaign will be launched in the union to make this a reality Deported to be Mutilated? 00:57 Sun 03 Jul 0 comments The Irish government is currently trying to deport women and children under the threat of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which frequently results in death. Asylum in Ireland can be sought on grounds of religious or political persecution. However the government refuse to acknowlege FGM as a political act and therefore women and children cannot apply for asylum on the basis they have suffered or will suffer FGM if deported. Solidarity Action for the political seekers Bahoz & Temiz 06:02 Sat 25 Jun 0 comments Solidarity Action with the political asylum seekers Bahoz and Temiz, Friday, 24/06/2005 6pm outside the Greek Consulate, 50 Gogarloch Syke, Edinburgh, EH12 9JB Kurdish Asylum Seeker on Hunger Strike in Greece – close to death. Céad Míle Fáilte*? Racial Profiling in the Ireland Oct 24 1 comments Over the last couple of days we have witnessed massive media hysteria about the case of Maria, a young girl supposedly abducted by a Roma couple in Greece. DNA tests and Lombroso-style racial profiling have come into action in a case that has stirred the irrational anxiety that feeds racism and bigotry. Beyond the fact that child abduction is a serious issue, the "whiteness" and "blondeness" of the alleged victim have been emphasised together with the "Roma" condition of the alleged culprits. Let us remember that this is taking place in Greece, a country where blatant racism (as expressed by Golden Dawn) is on the rise, so there are good reasons to be cautious about this whole case. Irish Travellers - Apartheid, Irish Style Oct 23 0 comments In Ireland institutional racism has evolved to come fitted as standard. At the same time the State dithers about making the decision on whether or not to grant Travellers ethnic status. As the Stephen Lawrence family lawyer, Imran Khan stated – when you write laws of the land specifically for a people – it is a sure sign that you recognise them as a specific group when you bring in laws that pertain only to them. So, in Ireland, are Travellers specifically targeted in the Anti-Trespass Act brought in 2002 and Section 24 of the Criminal Justice Act (1994). Support the Dale Farm families - Put a marker down to stop the racist onslaught against Travellers Oct 11 0 comments Dale Farm is a halting site which is also the largest concentration of Irish Travellers in Britain, being home to over 1000 people (about 100 families), many of whom are said to have their cultural roots in Rathkeale in Limerick. It was started in the 1960s when a number of families bought the former scrapyard site and Basildon council granted planning permission for 40 houses. This happened in the context of broad progress in race relations and a brief breeze of relative official tolerance for Travellers, epitomised in the liberal-sponsored 1968 Caravan Sites Act. Basildon Council have put aside an £18 million budget to bulldoze the site and forcefully evict the families (a staggering figure when you consider that in 2010 the total UK budget for providing Travellers with halting facilities was less than 30 million). [Français] Sectarian violence on the streets of East Belfast Jun 22 0 comments
The cracks beneath the surface in the peace process were once again exposed on the streets of East Belfast last night in the second night of serious sectarian rioting. A UVF led mob numbering in the 100's has been engaged in attacks on catholic homes at the edge of the Short Strand. This is the reality of a peace dividend which has failed to deliver to working-class communities and stands in stark contrast to suburbia only 5 miles away which produced golf champion Rory McElroy. Głos jego pana Feb 23 0 comments Rząd robiąc kozła ofiarnego z emigrantów zachęca rasistowskie zbiry more >>WSM remove racist slogans in Cabra, Dublin Dec 18 WSM - Jack White branch 0 comments Local members of the WSM have removed racist slogans which had been painted along the canal. |